Getting Started:
Cherry juice concentrate should be refrigerated upon arrival. You can store it for 6 months in the refrigerator or 12 months in the freezer. King Orchards cherry juice concentrate is concentrated to 68 brix; It won’t freeze solid or expand in the freezer.

Mixing cherry juice:
For a single glass of cherry juice, we recommend a mix of 7 parts water to 1 part concentrate. That’s 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of concentrate for an 8 ounce glass of juice.

Another easy recipe is to mix 1/2 cup of cherry juice concentrate with 3 1/2 cups of water. This makes 1 quart of juice. We suggest making no more than a quart in advance, to minimize the possibility of spoilage.

Get Creative!
King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate is 100% Montmorency cherries. That means it’s pure fruit, so feel free to experiment! Try mixing with club soda, orange or apple juice. A bit of tart cherry juice adds a nice flavor twist to summer lemonade, and is also a great cocktail mixer. We have many customers who add cherry juice concentrate to their yogurt and oatmeal, too.  It’s a sweet and sour delight over ice cream. Tart cherry juice concentrate gives everything a boost of natural cherry pie flavor.

Do you have a great cherry juice recipe?
If you have your own tart cherry juice recipes or serving suggestions, we’d love to hear and share them. Jot us a note in the comment section, or give us a call toll-free at 877-937-5464.

Cheers! and as always, thank you for supporting Michigan cherry growers!

Ingredients:
Tuna:
1/4 cup tart cherry juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons chili paste (sirracha)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
4 tuna fillets (ahi, albacore or similar)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Cabbage:
1 cup dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 cups shredded red cabbage
2 cups whole grain rice
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, chili sauce, garlic, soy sauce, mustard, tart cherry juice and green onions.

Heat a large skillet to high heat. Sprinkle the tuna with salt and pepper, spray with cooking spray, then sear for 90 seconds per side for rare (or until desired doneness). Remove from heat, cool slightly, and slice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey and rice wine vinegar. Toss with the dried tart cherries and cabbage.

Prepare rice according to package directions.

To assemble, place equal amounts of rice onto the center of four plates. Push down the center of each mound to create a well and fill each well with equal amounts of dressed cabbage. Add slices of tuna, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve.

Nutrition Info:
Courtesy of Powered by Red Contest Winner (Novice) -Jaime Brown-Miller, Napa, CA and the Cherry Marketing Institute

1- 12-inch Pre-baked pizza crust
1/2 cup Dried tart cherries
Butter
1 1/2 cups Onion, sliced thin
2 1/2 cups Baby portobello mushrooms, sliced thin
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 1/2 cups Beef (any tender cut), cooked medium-rare and sliced thin
1 1/2 cups Blue cheese, crumbled

Sauté onions in butter until caramelized; let cool.

Sauté portobello mushrooms in butter until tender; let cool.

Brush olive oil evenly over pre-baked pizza crust. Spread onions and mushrooms over pizza crust. Arrange slices of beef and cherries over onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle blue cheese over all.

Bake at 450°F in a standard oven 7 to 9 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Serve as an appetizer or main course.

Tart cherry juice was recently featured on the popular Dr. Oz Show. You can see a video of the show here:

Amazing Antioxidants: Tart Cherry Juice

In the feature, Dr. Oz talked about some of the exciting research being done on Montmorency tart cherries, particularly in the areas of heart health, muscle recovery and natural melatonin. It was really a great segment, with good information as to why tart cherry juice has been making so much news lately.

If you’ve decided to go ahead and try tart cherry juice, you’ll want to be  sure you’re getting 100% tart cherry juice and that it’s made from Montmorency tart cherries. Montmorency tart cherries (also called “sour cherries” or “pie cherries”) are the cherries on which the health research is being conducted.

Also, consider tart cherry juice concentrate. King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate is very affordable. One 32 oz bottle has 32 servings, or a one month’s supply, so it works out to well under $1 per day.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our tart cherries or tart cherry juice concentrate. We are real family growers, and we know our cherries!

Cheers to Cherries!

Ingredients:

4 large or 8 small ice cubes
1 1/2 cups frozen tart cherries
1 large banana, cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup vanilla soy or lowfat milk
2/3 cup orange juice
2 scoops unflavored whey protein drink mix powder (about 42 grams protein total)
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:
Place ice cubes, frozen cherries, banana, milk, orange juice, protein powder and sugar in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed about 30 seconds or until smooth. To serve, pour into glasses. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 (1 3/4-cups) servings.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per 1 3/4 cup serving: 129 calories, 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 12 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber, 5 mg sodium; Daily Values: 20% vitamin A, 80% vitamin C, 35% calcium, 6% iron.

Please bear with me and today’s overly-alliterated blog post. When Lexi (Bakin’ Girl) was a baby, one of the first books we read to her was The Berenstain Bears “B” Book. We read that book a lot. So much so that now, whenever I encounter more than one “B” word strung together, I start reciting (usually just in my head), Big Brown Bear. Big Brown Bear. Blue Bull. Big Brown Bear. Blue Bull. Beautiful Baboon… right on through to “and that’s what broke baby bird’s balloon.”

This morning’s Baker’s Birthday Blueberry Pancakes (by Barb) Breakfast Celebration, the realization that I’m the mother of a 22 year old, and the fact that Derek actually did find a baby bird at the market this morning, may have combined to send me just a bit over the edge brink of blogging sanity. Not that I had that far to go.

Mixed in with all this silliness are some great pics of the Kewadin market and bakery, including fresh baked pies, lots of fruits and vegetables now in season, and the fun and friendly crew I’m fortunate to work with here at King Orchards.

Cheers!
Patty

Friday’s scenes from King Orchards US-31 and M-88 farm markets:

From The Detroit News:

Peachy Berry Crisp

3 large peaches, peeled, pitted, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oatmeal (not instant)
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8-inch square or oval baking dish. Toss fruit, sugar and 2 tablespoons flour in large bowl to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake fruit until juices bubble, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Bake without stirring another 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining 3/4 cup flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small moist clumps form. Sprinkle topping evenly over hot fruit in dish.

Bake crisp until topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm with ice cream. Serves 8.
Per serving (without ice cream): 339 calories; 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat; 27 percent calories from fat); 62 g carbohydrates; 25 mg cholesterol; 82 mg sodium; 4 g protein; 7 g fiber
80 minutes

20 minutes to make
60 minutes to bake

From The Detroit News